Lancashire care provider goes into liquidation

Nick Lakin

A Lancashire based care provider has gone into liquidation after failing to pay staff wages.

Lancashire Police have also launched an inquiry into Heritage Homecare Services Ltd, based in Morecambe Road, Lancaster, following a number of care issues concerning vulnerable adults.

The company has offices in Lancaster, Nelson, Heywood and Chester.

It is now in the hands of official receiver Nigel Bebbington of Blackpool, after HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issued a winding up petition against it.

The company directors Angela Hughes and Kay Randle are still trading as Total Care NW Limited, which was set up in 2010, from their base at Riverway House.

The government’s insolvency service said Heritage Homecare Services staff could contact them if they wanted to make a claim for unpaid wages.

Staff should email redundancypaymentsonline@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk in the first instance, or call 0330 3310020. Charges will apply.

A spokesman said anyone wishing to make a complaint against the company should visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/insolvency-service or call 0300 678 0017.

Directors contacted staff on March 1 to tell them they wouldn’t be getting paid for February.

The company apologised and blamed Lancashire County Council for not paying invoices.

But the council said it was up to the business to manage cashflow effectively and announced that it would not be contracting any new care with them.

The council has been transferring care delivered by Heritage Homecare Services Ltd to other registered home care providers.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: “In November 2015 we were made aware of a number of concerns in relation to the domiciliary care of vulnerable adults in Lancashire provided by Heritage Homecare.

“We are working closely with our partner agencies to ensure that any safeguarding concerns are addressed and an investigation is underway to establish whether any criminal offences have taken place.

“The investigation is in its early stages and enquiries are on-going.”

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